Reed Krakoff / Spring 2012 RTW

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Since launching his ready-to-wear collection nearly two years ago, Reed Krakoff has been diligently refining his sense of luxe utility, and it came together at his show on Wednesday. The first sign was how great the four Courtin-Clarins sisters looked sitting in the front row wearing clothes from his resort collection. They’re not the most obvious Krakoff girls, but it was nice to see the bright knit sweaters and short snakeskin-print chiffon skirts in a real-world setting.

On the runway, the clothes were as solid as much for what they were—clean, streamlined silhouettes in movable fabrics—as for what they weren’t—tricked out with extraneous buckles, straps, and panels in a deliberate effort to look utilitarian. Krakoff’s starting to realize that shedding these things is the most practical move of all. His colors were sharp—a lot of the black and white that’s been present elsewhere, with solar oranges and yellows radiating through. He developed his own print this season, an enlarged and re-colored Audubon bird that may not have always worked, but remember, although he’s a proven authority on accessories, Krakoff’s still relatively new to ready-to-wear, so he should play with patterns to see what ultimately feels authentic to his brand.

Speaking of bags and shoes, the selection continued to get stronger. A mini-Atlantique bag in black-and-white-mixed snakes and lizards looked cool and rich, while the box clutches in anodized metals and exotic skins felt compact and confident. Like if a woman could go out carrying everything she needs just in that clutch, she wins.